Massage device



March '19, 1935." G, A, MUTCH 1,994,781

MAS SAGE DEVI CE Filed NOV. 4, 1932 INVENTOR 620 865.45; A. Marc/K fll'ORNEY Patented Mar. 19, 1935 stares This invention relates to massagedevices, and more particularly it pertains to a relatively small handoperated massage device of the so called suction cup type.

' I am aware that the employment of such in massage devices is not new,but in all such devices with which I am familiar, the degree of vacuumproduced is constant and thereis no provision for varying the same.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a massage device ofthe vacuum type in which the degree of vacuum employed may be varied asdesired.

feature of the invention resides in the provision of a novel form ofhOllOtVlllSIIlbfil having a closed end and an open end, the hollowmember,

being formed of suitable material which permits of distortion of thehollow member in such a manner that when the open end of the memher isplaced into engagement with the surface to be operated upon, and thehollow member permitted to assume its normal position, a'differ-1 entialin pressures between the surface to be treated and the interior of thehollow member,-

and the consequent so-called suction will result.

Afurther feature of the invention resides in the provision of meanswhereby the extent to which the hollow member may be distorted'may bevaried, thus varying the degree of vacuum and,

of the so-called suction produced by the hollow 'member.

Other features of the invention relate to certain novel and improvedconstructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described andparticularly pointed .out in the claims, the advantages of which will bereadily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawingwhich illustrates the invention in its'preferre'd forms and the following detailed description of the constructions therein shown.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the Figure 7 is a horizontalsectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure and;

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a modified formof the invention.

'In its present embodiment, the device comprises a hollow member 10 ofcylindrical form having aclosed end 12 and an open end 14. This hollowmember may be formed of any suitable pliable material which will permitof distortion thereof to expel the air from its interior for the purposeof producing so-called suction at the open end 14 thereof. I have inactual prac tice found rubber to be an ideal material from which to formthe hollow member 10.

The closed end'12 of the hollow member 10, may be thickened as shown at16, andextending inwardly of the hollow member from the closed end 12thereof, there is av projection 18 preferably in the form of an integrallug, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described. Fora portion oftheir length intermediate .of the ends of the hollow member, the sidewalls are of slightly thicker construction as designated bythejreference character 20, than those portions 22 and 24 upon oppositesides of this thickened portion 20. A bead 26 extends around the outerportion of the hollow member and the open endof the hollow member isdefined by a bead or similar thickened portion 28.

The thickened portion is provided upon its inner surface with aplurality oi projecting annular ribs 30 which are spaced from oneanother by means of channels 32.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that if the side walls of thehollow member are .compressed as indicated by ,dashlines in Figure 4,the air will be to some extent expelled from the interior of the; hollowbody. With the hollow body thus distorted, if the open end be placed incontact with the skin and the body released, it will return to itsnormal position and the differential in pressure between the interiorand exterior of the hollow body will produce a so called suction at theopen end 14 of the hollow member. The device may now be moved about overthe skin without breaking the partial vacuum within the hollow body,thus efiectively massaging the skin. In some instances it is desirableto use a cold cream upon the surface being treated but this is notnecessary as the device will function without the use of said coldcream.

Means is provided to vary the degree of vacuum produced and consequentlythe degree of suction. This effect is produced by a means limiting theextent to which the hollow member may be distorted and therebycontrolling the volume of air expelled from the hollow member by suchdistortion thereof.

In the present embodiment of the invention this means for limiting thedistortion of the hollow member consists of a disk like member 40 whichis mounted inside of the hollow member and is held therein by theprojections 30 heretofore described, the disk like member 40 having atapered edge 42 which is received in the spaces 32 between theprojections 30. Extending from the disk like member 4.0 in the directionof the open end of the hollow member there is a rigid arm or the like4.4., and upon the free end of this arm there is mounted a rectangularmember 46, which will be positioned by said arm, adjacent the open endof the hollow member.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that if the member 46be adjusted to the position in which it is shown in Figure 4, the sidewalls of the hollow member can only be distorted to the extentillustrated in dash lines in said figure. However, if said member 46 bemoved inwardly of the hollow member further than the position in whichit is illustrated, say to position behind the uppermost projection 30 insaid Figure 4, the side walls of the hollow member can be distorted to amuch greater extent and thus a greater expulsion of air from theinterior of the hollow member may be had thus creating a greater vacuumand a greater suction than when the member 46 is in that position inwhich it is shown in Figure 4.

Thus by adjusting the member 46 relative to the open end of the hollowmember the degree of vacuum and the consequent suction may be increasedor decreased at will. In adjusting the member 46 it is only necessary toinsert the thumb or finger into the open end of the hollow body andexert a slight pressure thereon, which will be sufficient to move themember 46 inwardly of the hollow body. When it is desired to move themember, 46 in the direction of the open end of the hollow body it isonly necessary 7 to exert a pressure upon the thickened portion 16 ofthe closed end of the hollow body, the thinner portion 22 of the hollowbody permitting of distortion of the hollow body sufiicient to permitthe projection 18 engaging the disk like member 40 to move the sametoward the open end of the hollow body.

In Figure 8 I have illustrated a slightly different form of theinvention. In this form of the invention a rigid armfiO-extends from thedisk like member 40 through the closed end 12 of the hollow member andsaid arm 50 is provided with an operating member or knob 52.

By grasping the knob 52 and moving themem ber 50 through the closed endof the hollow member, the disk like member lo may be adjusted withrelation to the open end of the hollow member. In this form of theinvention the disk like member 40 serves to limit the extent to whichthe hollow member may be distorted and thus limits the degree of vacuumand consequent suction produced. at the open end of trated in itspreferred forms, it is to be under-' stood that it is not to be limitedto the specific construction herein illustrated andthat it may bepracticed in such other forms as':.rightfully fall within the scope ofthe appended claims.

Having thusdescribed the invention, what is claimed as new and what itis desired tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States,is:

1. A massage device comprising a hollow distortablemember'having'a-closed end and an open end, aplurality'of projectionsarranged in teriorlyof the hollow member adjacent the closed endthereof, a rigid disk likemember adjustable interiorly of said memberand held in position bysaid projections, and rigid means projecting fromsaid disk like member in the direction of the open end'of the hollowmember to determine the extent of distortion of the hollow member.

2. A massage device comprising ahollow distortable member having aclosed end and an open end, a disk like member mounted within the hollowmember,'meai1s carried by the disk like member for determining theextent-of dis-; tortion of the hollow member, and'means'can ried by theclosed end of the hollow member for engagement with the disk like memberfor ad-f justing' the disk likepmember interiorly of the hollow member.

3. A massage'device comprising a hollowdistortable member having aclosed end and an open end, a disk like member mounted within the hollowmember, means carried by the disk like member for determining the extentof distortion of the hollow member, and means carried by the closed endof the hollow member for engagement with the disk like member interiorlyof the hollow member, said last mentioned means" comprisingan integralprojection extending inwardly of the hollow member. I

GEORGE A. MUTCH.

